Tag Archives: IT start up

I am in the process of having a provisional patent done for a phone app idea I have. So this was a great event to attend to find out more about why business should have an online presence in our global online economy and what is being done in Brisbane to promote our IT innovations.

George Fidler, General Manager of Kixeye, gave his experience as a start up IT business. What I took away from George is that you have to persist. You learn more from your mistakes then you do from your successes. And as a result your mistakes make your business stronger. I agree, if you are going to make mistakes, make them early in your business life and make plenty of them. If you don’t make mistakes, then you aren’t pushing your limits! George also made reference to the book “Lean Start Up”. In talking to George after the presentation, he again gave me the advice to read this book (or listen as an audio!) for my future phone app project. He also gave me the advice to find a programmer to work on my project referencing the IT incubator, River City Labs, as a starting point.

Bob Dunne, Principal at Strateneering, gave his story of how he started capitalrater.com. He initially started with a local focus of Sydney and Brisbane but quickly expanded it to be a global provider. He doesn’t understand why anyone in business isn’t online and looking beyond their local geographical boundary. Business is made easier with the internet! I asked Bob on his advice on putting together a start up IT team and who he would bring on. He said he would bring in people he already knew, who complimented his own skills and had the ability to go into a start up business.

Kieran O’Hea, Brisbane’s Chief Digital Officer gave an interesting, but rushed, presentation on both the digital economy and Brisbane’s role in this. For Example, over 66% of people in Australia have a smart phone and use its additional features. 41% of phone users over 50 have a smart phone. Hopefully the organisers will send out his slide presentation!

At this event I met some other interesting people

Jim is the Development Executive at Scan Conversion Services. He assists organisations to convert their paper documents to an electronic document on mass. Handy if you have documents that need to be stored in electronic format.

Jeanette is a Business Development Manager from Commonwealth Bank. It was good to meet Jeanette as I want to find out more about her role on the Not For Profit Working Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA). Foley Business Management is a service provider to the NFP or Social Enterprise sector.

Clinton is a Patent and Trade Marks Attorney for Cullens. Clinton was incredibly helpful discussing the benefits of having a patent for IT ideas you are wanting to take to concept and then taking it to a full patent. Clinton is someone I will likely be wanting to talk to when I develop a working concept of my phone app.

To find out what other events I will be attending in the future go to my Where I Will Be page.